Insulated rail-joint.



No. 868,520. PATENTED 0GT.15, 1907. B. WOLHAUPTER.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED mm. e. 1906.

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PATENTED OCT. 15, 1907.

B. WOLHAUPTER.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.6,1906.

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No. 868,520. PATENTED 00115, 1907.

vB. WOLHAUPTER.-

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED DE0.6,1906.

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UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN\VOLHAUPTER, OF NE YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINTCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF YORK.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

' inc. 868,530.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15,1907.

Application filed December- 6 1906. Serial No. 346,643.

To all whom it may concern: 7 j I Be it, known that I, BENJAMINWoLnAUr'rnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city,

in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Insulated hail-Joints, of which'thefollowing is a specification.

' entirely relieving the insulation from the load o weight of thepassing train.

The invention primarily has in view an improved construction ofinsulated rail joint embodying a sectional base plate feature whereby aseparate supporting section of base plate is provided'for each rail end,While at the same time admitting of a thorough and complete insulationof the joint throughout without placing the insulation in'positionswhere it wouldrceive the load or weight of the trains. In thisconnection, the inven-' tion contemplates a construction which can beadvantageously utilized with a separate or detachable base plate of thesame ener l type as that embodied in the well knownWolhaupte'r railjoint, while at the same time providing for a novel and effectiveinter-reinforcing and intersupporting of the variops elements making upthe joint to insure afirm and strong base support for each rail end.

Other general objects to be attained by the present invention are thesame as those carried out\in connection with the forms of insulatedjoints disclosed and 1 claimed, in companion applications filed November8,-

1906 and bearing Serial Numbers 342,523 and 342,524.

The essential features of the invention involx ed in adapting asectional or two-part base plate construction to joints of the typewherein the base plate is separate and detachable member of the joint,are necessarily susceptible to embodiment in various modifications"without departing from the scope of the invention, but for illustrativepurposes there are shown in the drawings certain preferred practicalmodifications of the invention. I

In these drawings Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a railjoint constructed in accordance with the "present invention andillustrating the improvements the'line 4,-4 of Fi 1. Fig 5'is-alongitudinal sec- 7 tional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, illustratingthe insulated coupling connection between the separate base sections,and also showing the one end base insulating feature in combination withthe insulating end post which is utilized as an insulating mediumbetween the adjacent inner edges of the separate base plate sections.l?ig. 6 is a sectional perspective view showing the improvements intheir application to a' type'of joint embodying opposite angle bars asthe side girder members of 'the' joint. ,Figs. 7 and 8 are views-similarto Figs. 2 and 3 respectively of the opposite side. girder I members andtheir related parts of the form of joint shown in Fig. 6 of thedrawings. 9 is a. detail perspective view showing a modification thatmay be re-'- sorted to inproviding for the support of one edge of a'base plate section upon the inner edge portion of a side girder member.

, "Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

A prominent and distinctive feature of the present invention resides inconstructing a rail joint with a sectional or two-part base plate and soarranging the parts that each section of the base plate affords a metalsupporting base for each rail end, while at the same time the separatesections of the base plate are coupled or fastened together so as toconstitute in effect one base plate common to both rail ends in thesense thateach section of the base plate has a support from both of theside girder members or side joint plates, thereby securing an effective'reinforcing and strengthening of the basesupport throughout.- At thesame time the sectional or two-part base plate construction referredtopreserves that advantageous feature of the companion the embodied in avariety of rail joint structures withticular reference will now be madeout affecting the essential features of the invention, but

the improvements claimed are 'well exemplified in the forms ofjointsshown in the drawings and to which par- Referring to the form ofinsulated rail joint shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings,the said joint includes in its general organization the adjacentservicev or running rails 1 and 2, the oppositely arranged side jointplates} and 4, the joint bolts 5, and a sectional or two-part base plateconsisting of the separate individual base 'plate sections 6 and 7, eachof which affords-a direct metal bearing support for one of the railends.

The ter ide joint p1at i the sense employed of the joint irrespectiveofthe design or formof these members, so it will be understood thatthese' girder members may consist of any ofthe conventional forms Intlfeform of the invention shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the sidegirder members 3 and 4 are inclined from a vertical plane. so as toengage with the correspondingly inclined outer bearing faces 8 oftheoppositely located filler blocks 9 and '10 which are respectivelyarranged at opposite sides of the rail ends and interposed between thelatter and side girder members '3 and A. By reason of the complelnentaland'cont'act ing relation of the inclined bearing faces 8 of the fillerblocks, and of the inclined girder members 3 and 4, it

will be understood that when the said girder members are drawntogethenor tightened upon the blocks 9 and 10 through the action ofthe'joint bolts 5 or otherwise, the tendency of the girder members is toslide upward upon the said bearing faces 8 with the result of exerting alifting force upon the base plate 67 so as to draw the same into .firrnsupporting contact with the rail bases.

In adapting the inclined side girder members 3 and 4 to the presentinvention, it is necessary to provide an even bearing support for theheads and nuts of the joint bolts 5, as well as to scdure a thoroughinsulation thereof: To secure this result, apractical construction whichmay be resorted to is shown in Fig. lot the drawings and consists infittingwithin each bolt hole 11 of the girder members an offstandingmetal bevel washer 12 of tubular form and affording upon its outer endstraight bearing for the flange or head of a flanged insuletting-bushing 13, between which latter and theheads andnuts of thebolts are interposed the usual metal backing-washers 14. Of course otherinsulating expe-- dints may be resorted to for insulating the bolts fromthe girder members and rails Without departing fro'm' the presentinvention.

Each of the girder members and 4 is provided at its lower edge with. anoutturned spiking flange l5 and with an inside inwardly projecting basesupporting I flange 16 preferably extending longitudinally from endporting flange 16 mi y bel provided in various ways and may be oflesseictent than the girdermember. Also,

the said fian ge may be variously formed, such for'in-,

stance, as simply consisting-of a plain inwardly projecting flange orlip as shown in detail in Fig. 9 of the drawings, or being embodied inmore of a grooved for- 'mation as shown in other figures of thedrawings, but 5 in any design, and with the flange 16 of any properlength, the same affords a direct supporting surface upon which asection of the base plate is held and carried.

Indesigning the individual sections of the base plate for'engagement'wi'th and support by the girder members, it is preferable toprovide each of said sections of the base plate along one ofits-longitudinal side edges with an angled offset holding flange17..arra.nged in 'parallelism to the top portion of the plate sectionand producing along its inner I edge a rail bearing shoulder 18lying'above the plane of the top surface, of the section oi the baseplate and adapted to engage against the edge of the rail base on baseflange as plainly shown in Fig;

'1 of the drawings in a manner similar to the detachable orseparate baseplate of the Wolhaupter type of rail joint."

The offset holding flange 17 of'each-section of the base plate isadapted to take over and rest upon the supporting flange 16 of the sidegirder or girder member with which such plate section is associated.This when the girders are drawn together, while at the same ftiinepermitting the sectionof the base plate tofbe detached or separated fromits girder in contradistinction to those types of joints wherein theindividual sections of the base plate are rigid or integral with theside plate or g irder member as described and illustrated in the-/companion applications aforesaid.

In carrying out the present invention, the same preserves the idea ofeach-section of the base plate having a direct supporting engagementwith only one of the side girders. Hence, with this arrangement, thesec-' tion of the base plate for each side girder member is usually of alength approximately equaling one-half the full length of said girdermember, though this may be varied to suit conditions where the joint isto be applied, However, in all forms of the invention, each section ofthe base plate is located wholly atone side of the transversecenter ofits supporting girder so thatsuch girder carries a section of the baseplate along one end portion thereof. I

. The separate sections of the base plate 6-7 are preferably duplicatesin design and'arrangement and are disposed.'respectively at oppositesides of the transverse-central line of the joint as plainly shown inFigs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. Hence,- by reason of this arrangement,the separate sections of the base plate lie in the same horizontal planeand in spaced matching plished by providing ,a' fastening connectionbetween i the inner adjacent ends of the separate sections'of the baseplate which are respectively supported upon the opposite girders. Thisfastening connection isintended to provide a rigid union between the twosections of the base plate, while at the same time thoroughly insulatingsuch sections so that, each of the same may be said to afford each railend a support on .both sides ofthe meeting'point of the rail endswithout inetallic contact or electrical connection with thecorresponding section of the base plate. A construction which may beutilized for accomplishing this result involves the provision of eachsection of the base plate atits inner end with a pendent transverselydisposed terminal flange 19 which necessarily acts as a stiffeninggirder or flange while at ,the same time being provided with one o r aplurality of bolt holes 20 receivingthe coupling bolts 21 which arearranged to connect the terminalilanges 19 of both plate sections 6 and7. AthorOughirisula- 'tion of the fianges19 and ofeach bolt may besecured by incasing the latter in an insulating bushing 22 extendinginto the bolt holes 20, andby arranging insulating washers 23 betweenthe heads and nuts of the ends, while at the same time thoroughlyinsulating the two sections of the base plate from each other.

I In thejconstruction described, with each sectionoi' the base plateresting upon a track tie T, it will be'ob; view that the base plate 67performs the functions.

of a single base plate for both rails, while at the same time beingsupported by two girders and by two ties.

This secures a most effective inter-re nforcing and.in--

tersupporting oi" the partsv and greatly increases the supporting effectof the individual sections of the base plate for each rail end.'- 1

To-complete the insulation of the joint described, the insulating-endpost 25, between the rail ends 1 and 2, may be arranged to extend belowthe bases of the rails so as to project into the gap or interval betweenthe inner adjacent ends of the sections 6 and 7 of the base plate, thussecuring an effective insulation atthis point. Complete insulationbetween the free longitudinal edge, or the unattached longitudinal edge,of each section of the base plate and the opposite girder may be'secnredby employingan insulating angle strip 26 whose horizontal flange may beconveniently held for support on the flange 16 of the girder, while thependent flange oi the said strip lies in the interval be tweensaidgirder and the opposing unattached edge of the opposite sectioh oi thebase plate. he twoinsulatingfistrips 26 are arranged along what may betermed the on-supporting ends of the girders and hence aredisposed indiagonally opposite'relatioii as. shown Fig. 4 of the drawings, therebyproviding a one-end insulation 'betu een' each posing section oi thebase plate.

The essential features of the invention above pointed out maybe embodiedin'various forms of joints, such girder and the opfor instance as thetype-of joint shown in Figs. 6 toS,

inclusive, of the drawings. In this embodiment of the invention the samegeneral features are preserved as already set forth, but the side girdermembers, instead of being in the form of inclined side platescooperating with filler blocks, are of the angle bar type, the samebeing designated by the reference characters 27' and 28 respectively.The angle bar girders 27 and 28 may be of the general conventional formand each oi thesame is provided at its lower edge with a spiking flange15 and an insulated base supporting shoulder 16 preserving the samefunctions and cooperating with the same parts, as the correspondingelements described in connection with the construction shown in Figs. 1to 5 inclusive of the drawings.

. In adapting the improvements of the angle bar type to the joint shownFig. 6 of the drawings, a properinsulation between the angle bars orgirders and the sides ofthe rails is secured by the employment of theusual sheet insulation 29 interposed between the rail -6 5- sides andthe angle bars or girders so as to thoroughly insulate theadjoiningfaces of th'e rails, of the said bars. Also, in this construction,anysuitableexpedients may be resorted to for insulating the joint bolts5,

tially the same insulating expe'dients, with the exception of the bevelwashers 12, as shown in connection with the heads and nuts-oi the beltsin Fig.- 1 of the drawings; In other respects, the form of joint shownin Fig. 6 of the drawings is substantially the same in all respects asthe form illustrated in Fig; 1, and hence I similar reierence characterswill apply to similar parts. --in'the two forms.

to those skilledin the art, and it will be understood that variouschanges inthe form, proportion and minor details 'of construction may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantagesof the invention.

1. I an insulated ran joint, the i'ails,.,tl eside girdel:s

a sectional base plate supported by the two girders and andinsulatingmeans. I 2. In an insulated railjoi nt, the rails, the side girders, asectional base plate each section of which, receives .there on one railend only and which is connected dircctly'with one girder butsupportedjfrom both'glrders, and insulating a r 3. In an insulated railjoint,.the combination with the rails and ties, of the slide girderssupporting two sections support of the ties on both-sides of themeetingpoints of: the rails without contact witlhthe other base section, andinsulating me'ans.'- 5 I I 4. Iii. an insu-lhted rail jqlnt,'thecombination with the rails and ties, of the sldegirders eachofwhichsupports a base plate section receiving thereon "one rail end only andaffording suchrail end the support of both girders and of the tieswitheut contact with the other base section, and insulating means.

5. In an insulated rall jointyithie rails, side girders each carrying abase plate section separable therefrom, each base se cti on receivingthereon one rail end only and alfording'such railend a support from bothgirders on both sides of the meeting point of the rails Without Contactwith the corresponding base .jsectlon and insulating means.

6. In an insulated rail joint, the rails,,si de girders each arrangedtoreceive thereon one rail end only, each base section being supportedfrom the opposlte girder through its companion section, and insulatin'gmeans. I

7. In an insulated rail'joint, the rails, the side girders, a sectionalbase plate supported by and separable from the girders, each section ofbase plato'receiving thereon one rail end only, and insulating n caus-8. In an insulated rail joint, the rails; the side .girders, a sectionalbase plate consisting of coupled sections having a supporting engagementrespectively with the opposite gii'(lers and each sectioii receivlngthereon one roll end only, and insulating means.

5). In an insulated rail joint, therails, side girders each supporting adetachable base plate section receiving thereonone rail end only,and'insulating' means. 1o, ln au insulated rall'joint, the rails, sidegirders each supporting a detachablesectlon of base plate receivingthereon .oue rail end only, and' insulation interposed between saidsections of base plate.

11. In an insulated rail Joint, therails, side girders ea'ch supportinga section of base plate separable there from, and each of said basesections receiving thereon'onerail end only, insulation between thegirders and rails, and means for insulating said base sections.

12. In an insulated rail joint, theralls, side girders, a. base platecomprising two sectlons',' means for securing L such sections togethermechanically; and'means for lnsueach-section of which supportsftliereonone rail end only,

of ba'seplate, each section att'ordingone'rail end only the but forillustrative purposes there is shown substan- Other modifications willreadily-suggest themselves supporting a base plate section separabletherefrom and 13. In an insulated rail joint, the rails, and the jointproper having a base plate comprising two. sections, means I forsecuring such sections together mechanically, and means for insulatingsuch sections electrically.

14. In an insulated rail joint, the i'ailsyand the joint Jproper havinga base 'plate comprising two sections, each of which receivesthereon'one rail end only, means for se curing such sections togethermechanically, and means for .ins'ulati-ng such sections electrically.

15. Inan insulated rail joint, the rails,- the supporting girders, abase plate comprising two sections each of which receives, thereon onerail' end only, means for securing such sections togethe1"mechanically,and means for insulating such sections electrically with the supportinggirders.

16. In an insulated rail joint, the rails, side girders each supportinga section of base plate separable therefrom and .receiving for supportthereon one rail end onlyfand a one .end insulation between each 7girder and the opposing base plate section.

'17. In an insulated rail joint, the rails. the side girders,

a sectional base plate, each section of which base plate receivesthereon one rail end only, and diagonally opposite .one end insulationbetween the base plate sections and the girders. v

18. In 'an-insniated rail joint, the rails, the girders having basesupporting flanges and'a sectionalbase plate consistingofseparate'sections, each of which receives there- 'oli one rail end onlyand has a supporting engagement with Jthe flange oil, one girder, afastening connection between the separate base sections, and insulatingmeans.

19, In an insulated rail joint, the rails, side girders each havingasupporting fiange,.a sectional base plate consist ing of separatesections, each of which is. supported at one sections.

the presence of two witnesses.

edge upon the flange of one girder, a coupling connection between thebase plate'sections, and insulation supported upon the flange of onegirder and interposed between the latter and the adjacent edge of theopposing section of base plate.

2091a an insulated rail joint, the rails, the side girders, and asectional base plate having a support from both girders and each sectionof which base plate receives thereon one rail end only, and aninsulated'conpling connection between the separate base plate sections.

21. In an insulated rail joint, the rails, the side girders, and asectional base plate supported from 'both girders and consisting ofseparate sections each of which receives thereon one rail end only andis provided at its inner end with a terminal flange, and ab insulatedcoupling" connection between the terminal 'ilang'es ofrthe separate 22.In an insulated rail joint,-thn'rails, side girders, a sectional baseplate supported from both girders and com'- prising separate coupledbase plate sections, insulating nieans for the base plate sections andfor the side girders, insulating means 'for the girders and rails, andan ins latingiend post arranged to have its base interposed be tween thebase plate sections.

23. In an insulated rail joint, the rails, inclined side girders, asectional base plate carried by thegirders and each section of whichplate receives thereon one rail end only,- filler blocks having inclinedfaces opposing the girders, the joint bolts, and insulating means. I v

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix iuy' signature in BENJAMIN\VOLHAUPTER.

